Desk



Aug. 10, 1954 M. c. E. cum

DESK

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 25, 1950 ATTORNEY R O m w m 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M. C. E. CUNI DESK M Q q R W Aug. 10, 1954 Filed April 25, 195i) ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 10, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DESK Maurice C. E. Cuni, Washington, D. 0. Application April 25, 1950, Serial No. 157,970

Claims.

This invention relates to an article of furniture, and more particularly to a convertible and adjustable article of furniture, and features thereof.

The article referred to is a convertible desk of the desk panel.

One object of the invention is to provide an article of furniture including a desk panelwhich may be placed in an inoperable, out of the way position within the article, permitting the article to be used as a cabinet, and which may also be disposed in an operable position for use of the article as a desk.

Another object of the invention is to provide an article of furniture as set forth in the preobject, wherein there structure providing adjustment of the when in operable position.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an ingenious arrangement for adjustably positioning a desk panel.

Yet another object of the invention resides in the provision of an article of furniture and the features referred to above, wherein simplicity of construction and ease of operation is an important advantage.

These and other objects of the invention will be companying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the article with the desk panel in inoperable Fig. 3 is a sectional view looking downwardly on Fig. 2, and taken below the level of guide 2| but above panel Fig. 4 is a left hand side elevational view of the article as shown in Fig. 2, but with the right side panel and right door removed to show the inside structure;

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view, partly in section looking down on the left rear corner of the desk 2 panel and associated structure in the position shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view, partly in section of the structure shown in Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the upper left hand front corner of the cabinet with the top panel, doors and desk panel removed.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, there is shown a cabinet having a bottom ID, a back II, end panels I2 and I3, and a top panel Id. The front of the cabinet is closed (Fig. 1) by doors I5 and I5 hinged to the front edges of end panels l2 and I3. Doors 55 and I6 each have on their inner surfaces a plurality of spaced holes I! located at varying elevations above the For each hole I1 in As best seen in Figs. 4, 6, 7 and 8, each end panel I2, I3 is provided along the upper part of its forward edge portion with a guideway formed by a pair of spaced guides, the forwardrnost one of which (20) extends upwardly to the level of a substantial distance below the upper edge level of the end The extreme front portion of each guide 2I is of enlarged Width as shown at 22. This enlargement may be integral or may consist of a block attached to guide 2| as is shown in Fig. 8.

As shown particularly in Figs. 4, 7 and 8, a plurality of spaced holes 23 are located in the end walls I2, E3 in the guideways formed by guides I9, 20. For each hole 23 in one end panel there is a corresponding hole at in the guideway in the other end panel, and there is a peg 24 located in each series of holes 23, the two pegs being customarily placed in corresponding holes of the two series of holes 23.

A desk panel is shown at 25, this panel having a depth from front to rear smaller than the the doors closed. From end to end, the desk panel is slightly smaller in dimensions than the distance between the guides I9, 20 on end panel I3 and the corresponding guides on end panel 52. At each rear corner, panel 25.has a projection 26 extending beyond each end edge of the panel so that at its rear edge, the panel has a length only slightly smaller than the distance between the inner surfaces of the two end walls in the region of the two guideways formed by guides l9 and 2%. From front to rear, the projections 25 are slightly smaller than the width of the guideways formed by guides l9, 2%.

From the description of the parts which has now been given, the manner in which the various partscooperatashould be readily understood.

It willbe seerr from the drawings that desk panel 25 may be disposed in an inoperative position as shown in Fig. 5, in which the desk panel is positioned closely of top panel i4 so as to leave practically the entire interior space of the cabinetiavailable for: storage or other use. In this. position, the desk. panel is supported by projections 2'5 resting on the rear ends of guides 21, and by the from; corners of panel 25 resting on enlargements 22. It:-wi11-be ,seen: that. thepositioning of guides 2i and the thickness of panel 25 govern'the degree of; proximity. of. panel. 25 i andrtop panel is It willalsobejseen that withdoors i5; iii-open, desk: panel. 25 may. be placed. in; a. plurality of operative: positions in. which. the projections 26 are located: in. theguidewaysformed by guides [81 and. 2d,. the height of these projections and the-rear-edge of panel 25.-beinggoverned1by the positionsof pegs; 24- upon whu'ch. these projecr tionsrrests The, holes 23. and pegs-M thus pro. vide, in. effect, arvariable. height hinge andsupport for the rear edge of panel 25, permitting swinging of the front edge of the panel to. a plurality of elevations relative to the rear edge of panel 25.

Downward movement of the front edge of panel, Z5.may be limitedby placing peg-s I8 in theholes: II which, are located, at the desired height By adjusting the position, of pegs. l8 thehei-ghtof the front edge of panel 25 may be adjusted asidesired.

It, should; now. beclear that by appropriate positioning of pegs 24 and i8, the orientation of panel 25.-.may-be varied within a; wide range.

Thahinges used with doors l5 and: l 6'; may be usedto define the extremeopen position of these doors, oranyappropriate stops. (not shown) positioned on the cabinet may be used. Suitable hingearrangements are shown in Patents Nos. 2,280,655. and .1 07 8 363.; for example;

When panel 25 is to be movedbetween inoperative. and operative positions, projectionslB-are slidalong; the guideway formed by guides 19; and 2B and bylguidei-l and'top panel Me If desired, pegs. 25 maybe removed andthe rear edgeof panel 25 lowered untilprojections 25. are clear of theguidewaybetween guides Iiiand 2.0.. Then by lowering one end-.ofpanel 2.5, the panel may be removed completely fromthecabinet; As an interesting, but less? useful variation of the: invention,. each door could carry. a plurality of spacedprojections (not shown): instead of holes ill and .pegs [8, so that the doors could be opened slightly. beyond. their, door. supporting positions to permitchangein.heighti of the front edge of the. desk panel.

I wish ittohe clearly understood that the em.- bodiment of the invention as described is only apreferred embodiment. and that the invention is-susceptibleof numerous variations without departingfrom the inventive conceptas definedby theappended claims.

1, .An article of. furniturecomprisingsupport:

adjacent the under surface.

ing means including spaced walls, a panel having projections at its rear corners extending beyond its end edges, guide means mounted on the inner surface of each of said walls and projecting to ward the other of said walls, said guide means including a substantially horizontal guide element mounted near the upper edge portion of each wall and spaced from the upper edge of each wall by a distance at least as great as the thickness-- of said panel; saidiguide; means also including two substantially vertically disposed elements on each wall, said two elements being spaced from each other to form a guideway communicating with the space above said horizontal guide element and at least as wide as the projections carriedby said panel, whereby said projections areslidably receivable in said guideway, an

inward projection on at least one of said horizontali guide elements and near the forward end of said elements, for supporting the forward portion :of said-panel when said panel projections are supported; by, said horizontal guide elements, means ina said vertical. guideways forming a. plurality of spaced hinge supports for pivotably supporting-:saidpanel projections when said projections-arezlocated: insaid vertical guideway, and meansrforming a-plurality. of front supports for supporting the.v forward portion of said panel whensaidpanel projections are located in said verticalguideway, whereby said panel maybe located inaninoperative:position with the panel projections supported by said horizontal elements andthefront portionofthe panel supported by theimvardprojection on said horizontal guide elements-, and said panel may also be located with its projections locatedin said vertical guideway and supported by said hinge means, with theforward portion of the panel supported by said front support means.

2 Anarticle accordingto claim 1 wherein-said hinge meansdnclude a plurality of spacedholes locatedin. each of said vertical guideways and aipeg-receivable bysaid holes according to the desired height of the hinge.

3:- An article; according to claim 2, saidfront support means comprising apair of doors hinged to the forward edges of saidspaced walls, peg and hole means similar to those in the vertical guideway for-supporting the forward portion of said panel at variable-heights, and means associated with said doors to block their swinging open beyonda position just sufficient to permit said'panels to move therebetween.

4. An article of furniture comprising acabinet having an opening in the front thereof, at least one. doorhinged at the .side of said opening to said. cabinet, guideways in the side walls of said cabinet forming a trackway extending horizontally along the upper portion of said walls and. vertically down the. front portion of said walls, a desk panel having projections in the sides thereof slidable in said trackway, means in said vertically extending trackway forming a plurality of hinge supports for pivotally supporting said panel projections when said projections are located in said vertically extending trackways, means in said door forming a plurality of front supports for supporting the front of said panel whereby said desk panel can be supportedat a plurality of heights and at a plurality of angles with respect to said cabinet and means associated with said doors to block their swinging open beyond a position just sufficient to-permit' said panelto move therebetween;

5 5. An article according to claim 4 wherein said Number front supporting means comprises peg and hole 272,243 means. 569,825 2,172,605 References Cited in the file of this patent 5 2,197,359 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,441,728 2,474,596 Number Name Date 2 479 735 171,683 Miller Jan. 4, 1876 174,404 Atkinson Mar. 7, 1876 6 Name Date Harmony Feb. 13, 1883 Harrell Oct. 20, 1896 Bourn Sept. 12, 1939 Cook Apr. 16, 1940 Stanitz May 18, 1948 Schomburg June 28, 1949 Duspiva Aug. 23, 1949 

